NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's soccer team snatched a crucial victory that secured a spot in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Westminster.
With the win the team slots in as the No. 6 seed for the conference tournament, beating out a tie with Waynesburg due to the Presidents' 4-2 win over the Yellow Jackets earlier in the season. This is the first time since the 2020-21 season the team has made the conference tournament.
W&J finishes the regular season with a 7-10-1 overall record and 4-5-1 record in PAC play.
The Presidents opened the midweek bout with aggressive offensive pressure, outshooting the Titans 6-3 in the opening half of play. W&J also outpaced the Titans in corners with a 6-2 advantage, but to no avail as each side entered the half without a score, nil-nil.
W&J opened the second half with the same level of offensive aggression, adding more shots towards the opposing keeper. In the 74
th minute of play,
Jimmy Gogol (Westminster, Md./Westminster) sealed the Presidents' fate with a high-velocity shot from just inside the box, zipping past the Westminster keeper for the sole goal of the matchup.
W&J outshot the Titans 12-8 (4-3 on goal) throughout the duration of the bout. The team also held a strong advantage in corner kicks with an 8-3 margin.
Graeme Ewart (Arlington, Va./Yorktown) played all 90 minutes in goal with three saves on the night.
W&J now looks to face No. 3 seed Grove City in the PAC Championships Tournament Quarterfinals Saturday (Nov. 2). The bout is set to kickoff at 2:00 p.m.
